Stationery 1: A Overview on Pens
Hello hello~ Welcome to my first blog post! Stationery is another one of my loves, I’ve been adoring pens since childhood. I used to run a pen selling business back in middle school, where I ordered pens from Jetpens then sold the ones I didn’t like LMAO. Later on, when I actually visited Japan, stationery & pens were the biggest priorities I won’t talk too much about it today though, rather I’ll go through the various types of pens & their ink in brief. Note, I’ll cite all the references and pictures at the end!
Overall, there are four main types of pens:
Ballpoint Pens
Gel Pens
Marker Pens
Fountain Pens
Ballpoint Pens
Ballpoint pens are distinguished by their tip mechanism, wherein the ink is disposed through miniature balls at the end of the tip.
 The ink is then rolled out onto the paper via the rollerball. Due to the nature of this mechanism, most ballpoint pens are oil-based to prevent the ball from becoming dry & stuck. Due to this, the pen ink is high-viscosity indicated more thick and sticky-like ink occasionally. However, it is very versatile and reliable for most everyday use. Advantages:
Versatile, writes consistently
Easily accessible
Affordable & large variety
Tends to be water resistant, no ink-bleed through
Disadvantages:
The ink tends to be lighter
If the ink becomes dry, ball mechanism gets stuck
Requires more pressure to write
Tends to smudge from ink build-up
Common Examples:
Bic Round Stick Ballpoint Pen
Uni Jetstream Ballpoint Pen
Zebra Z-Grip retractable ballpoint
Gel Pens
The main difference between ballpoint & gel pens are the ink cartridges. Ballpoint pens utilize high-viscosity oil-based ink and gel pens utilize gel-based ink with pigments that enable ink viscosity during movement. This enables the gel pen to have darker and smoother ink however it takes longer to dry and can smudge easier. Many students like using this type of pen for the ease of writing and the clarity.Â
Advantages:
The ink tends to be much darker, and less pressure to write
Thinner tip sizes are available
Available in a wide arrange of sizes and colors
Water resistantÂ
Disadvantages:
Usually takes longer to dry than ballpoints, easier to smear
The thinner tips are usually mostly Asia-based, more difficult to acquire in other countries
Slightly more expensive than ballpoints
Common Examples:
Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pen (the 0.4 in Black Blue is my favorite <3)
Uni Pilot G2Â
Muji Non-Retractable Gel Pens
Marker Pens
These types of pens are radically different from the first, as these pens do not use the ball mechanism but rather, they are closer to a marker. They utilize fiber or plastic tips that vary a lot in sizes, shapes and usage. These are much more popular in the artist realm for details and are great as a multi-purpose pen for writing on various surfaces. Rather than their tips or shapes, these types of pens are sorted by usage. Fineliner pens are used typically by artists for detailed linework. Brush pens are used similarly but also are used to create more dynamic works due to the flexibility of the tip. Multi-surface and paint markers are used as they are described, used to label and write on various surfaces.Â
Advantages:
Usually archival, which means they will last for long amounts of time
Usually has the darkest ink & also smooth flowing
Multi-use, can be used for almost all occasions
Disadvantages:
The tips tend to be more delicate
Too many options, difficult to dabble in initially
Lacks refills most of the time, have to typically refill ink via syringe
Some can be v e r y expensive (looking at you copic smh-)
Common Examples:
Sakura Pigma Micron
Tombow Dual Brush Pens
Uni Posca Paint Marker PCF-350
Fountain Pens
We’re finally on the last one! Now, this one is for the vintage and retro folks out there or those who love historical drama- These pens utilize nibs that channel ink supplied by the feed, which is basically a filter that manages the ink flow. The way ink is refilled is by either cartridges or converters, but some people can actually refill ink straight into the barrel depending on the model.Â
These pens are infamously expensive but you actually can buy more affordable options and still have a high quality writing experience. These pens tend to attract more of the pen aficionado crowd but with a little research and info-reading, these are genuinely a joy to have.Â
Advantages:
The most reusable, as most parts are built to last and you can just buy cartridges or ink to refill
Most customizable as well, with many parts being modifiable
It’s definitely the coolest looking (okay maybe that one is a personal opinion-)
Disadvantages:
E X P E N S I V E
The pens can definitely be sensitive, needing specific paper to write smoothly
Ink probably takes the longest to dry
Common Examples:
Pilot Platinum Preppy
Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen
TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen
Final Note
That’s all four main types of pens down! This is an overview only, so sadly I didn’t go into too much detail (also it was getting long-). However, in the future, I’ll definitely go into highlights of each one and go into much more detail as I love pens very much! Overall, pens are much more than just a writing instrument and in an age where digital media rules all, the rustic charm of handwritten materials grow more precious. Naturally, I don’t ask you to convert all your documents and notes into physical media, but maybe keep a small journal or planner for miscellaneous writing. You’d be surprised to find how much joy or help it brings you. Below is the references if you’re interested in reading more! That’s all for today, have a nice one! -With love, Ai
